


You Got It, Boss

by NukaDarling



Series: Nuka-Negotiation [1]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: D/s, Homophobic Language, Kink Negotiation, M/M, Misogyny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 09:19:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9541289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NukaDarling/pseuds/NukaDarling
Summary: She was his light, his love, his moral compass; now she's gone, and just what the hell is Nate going to do?Well, Porter Gage to start with.A story about power dynamics in unhealthy people.





	1. Suck It Up, Buttercup

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate universe to [That Goodneighbor Good Shit](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8769778) in which Nate survives instead of Nora, set after the events of the main story.

He hadn’t asked for this. He didn’t want to talk to the Vault-Tec rep so many years ago, but Nora had signed up for it to make the salesman go away, and look at what that got them. 

Some days, he wishes they’d never been found. They could have died together, never knowing how the world would go so badly, so quickly. He wouldn’t have watched his wife clutching at their son, begging for his life. If they’d gone to the park, maybe, like they’d talked about, or if she just hadn’t opened the door—but she had, and they’d been manipulated by invisible forces ever since.  
He’d seen the horrors of war, but this? Complete anarchy. So many fates now rested on his shoulders in a world where life meant so little. His mission to restore a little peace in his life ended with no Shaun, countless lives lost in the explosions of the Institute and the Brotherhood blimp, and a particular numbness to the way things ought to be. 

So many factions had wanted him, and had immediately poured power down his throat until he was sick on it in the guise of doing good. Kindness had no place anymore; Nora’s kindness had opened their front door to the face of killers so that the poor salesman could meet his quota. Kindness got people hurt. 

Nate? Now he got people hurt. No commanding officers, no rules of engagement, no guidance in Nora’s soft eyes and Shaun’s tiny smile—he was on his own. There wasn’t a force out there that could touch him. 

And man, do you get used to the taste of power out here.

 

“Get Colter’s shit out of here.” Nate looked over the Fizztop Grille with a sneer. Porter Gage had been giving him the grand tour, and so far, he was not impressed. The park was a madhouse of poorly trained animals clawing at their leashes, going stir-crazy under the old regime’s indifference, and he got that, he really did; lowlifes like these needed a firm hand if they were ever going to be any use to him.

And scum like Gage? Yeah, he could work with that. The sooner they got the stink of Colter out of there, the sooner he could figure out this scrappy little enigma. 

“I’ll get right on that, boss,” Gage spat, not at all impressed with being assigned to cleaning duty, and Nate felt a little thrill of challenge. He’d broken scrappier shits than this one, and after all he’d been through, if someone wanted to stand behind him, he needed to know them well enough to feel the knife before it went for his back.

“You do that. I’m going to see the rest of my park. When I get back, we’re gonna have a talk about moving forward. I want to know what’s been happening, what they expect, and what isn’t working. It’s obvious that Colter wasn’t worth a shit, and I want to know what made him worth killing.” It was unspoken, of course, that he needed to know what it would cause a man like Gage to betray him. You sleep with one eye open around king-killers, and that’s a goddamn fact.

Gage, for his part, seemed satisfied with that. “You got it. Might wanna steer clear of the Disciples at first. They’re not gonna be real thrilled that they’re answering to another man. They’ve been talkin’ loud about needin’ a feminine touch around this place.” He wrinkled his nose, like a little puppy who didn’t like the turd he was sniffing. “Wouldn’t let one of them touch anything too personal of mine, anyway.” 

“They’ll come around when they start seeing action. I won’t keep them bored.”

“I’m sure you won’t, boss.”

 

The ladies from all the gangs did give him a wide berth, at least until they realized he wasn’t going to abuse his power like that. It took a little flash of teeth to a trader, who was nervous as hell to speak ill of any raider leader past or present, to learn that Colter had frequently traded favor in the gangs for his choice of ass, and the leaders could hardly let the chosen ones refuse. 

Nate was a right bastard, really, but one with standards. He and Gage had ended up tossing most of Colter’s garbage, including a blood-stained mattress that had been Colter’s bed. The man had left a legacy of failure, and Nate had no need for that to color his own reign. He had no clue how Gage had done it, but the guy had managed to get a new, clean bed for him, one with clean sheets and high posts and good support for tired backs, situated right in the Grille to enjoy the breeze in the summer months. 

It was a good bed; it was also one that was getting to be the epicenter of a bizarre power play amongst the gangs. 

With an established precedent that the Overboss doles out favor by the quality of their flesh offerings, they were starting to get nervous that they’d lose an upper hand with his apparent disinterest. He’d taken Gage to reclaim Dry Rock Gulch, but decided against raising a faction flag quite yet.

He was almost tempted by the sweet little lady who met him at the door to the Grille that night, impeccably dressed, waiting with a cigarette in a delicate holder between her clean fingers. She gave him a long, appraising glance and a coy little smile suggesting that she liked what she saw. “Busy tonight, Overboss?”

“I could have some time for business.” Oh, but she was attractive. He could feel waves of displeasure rolling off of Gage, and as much fun as it would be to get him riled, this was the wrong time for it. “But not the kind I think you’re proposing. Please have Mags contact me directly if she has Operator business to discuss.”

He took Gage by the elbow and led him in, savoring his confusion. No doubt it was the right move—he needed as much distance from Colter as he could get, and he had the feeling his predecessor didn’t have his willpower. 

But fuck, had it been a long time since he’d gotten laid. He half-listened to Gage talking strategy, noting that he was very careful to avoid showing any preference to any of the gangs.

“Do you love them?” He blurted, leaning back and kicking his feet on the table. 

Gage blinked at him, too blindsided to protest the boots on his park map. “What the actual fuck, Boss.”

“The gangs. You picked them out. Why three? Why these three?” He sat up and collected three of the tokens clustered in the center of the map representing the leaders. The lipstick and the pocket knife made sense, but a single broken, pink-furred handcuff made him smile. Had that been Colter’s choice?

“Aw, hell, it’s just business, Boss. Ain’t no love there. Got three distinct flavors of crazy and figured I’d see how they’d blend.”

“And what do you see?”

Gage frowned at him, then took the figures back. He placed the lipstick on the Old West-flavored park. “Vain, but effective. They know that everyone has a price, and that’s their strength and their weakness. They’re the ones who will be your model citizens until shit hits the fan. They need someone with loyalty for balance.” 

“The Pack.”

Gage nodded. “Lunatics, but they won’t betray you; that would fuck up their entire foundation. Even a shitty leader is still the boss, and they need the order. When you need to send a message, use them.” He dropped their token over Safari Kingdom. “But keep them on a tight leash.”

Nate flipped open the knife. “They’re violent, but not proactive. Loyal and dumb. The Disciples fill in those gaps.”

“They’re the most effective killers, but they will cut you down just as easily as anyone else if they feel like they’re not getting their fair share. They’re relatively disinterested in money, and the Operators like to keep their hands clean, so they have the potential to play nice with each other. The Pack works better on their own, but they’ve got their hierarchy figured out already.”

Nate considered the map. “I need to know more about the threats in the park before I start assigning anyone. We have five parks and three leaders, so someone isn’t going to be happy with me unless I figure somethin’ out.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Nate glared at him, and Gage put up his hands. “No offense.”

Nate stood and crossed the table to lean over Gage, stabilizing himself on the man’s shoulders while he leaned in to study the map. He felt his pulse quicken beneath his fingers, and felt the tension as Gage held still, not even breathing.  
“Nuka-World is just a start. If we want to make it work with these guys and keep ‘em all happy, we need to think bigger. I’m thinkin’ we get someone to start moving on the Commonwealth, someone who can put on a show about getting shorted a park while the real work happens out there. Let the Disciples and the Pack think I’m favoring them while the Operators go bring some caps home.” 

Gage smiled at him. “Yeah? Hell, that could work. Turning their whores away in a public place already sends a message.”

Nate squeezed hard. Something crunched beneath his fingers. “Next time you call my raiders whores, Porter Gage, you and I are going to have a conversation that you won’t like much, got it?” 

Gage flinched. “Yeah, I got it.” 

And Nate didn’t let go, not for a long moment, long enough that Gage looked up at him nervously. “Is there something else?”

Nate gave him an insincere smile. “Go let Mags and William know I want to talk to them. You’re dismissed.” He patted his shoulders in mock-affection and turned away, leaving Gage to scuttle out and wonder what the fuck just happened.

 

Word of the Operators’ failed seduction spread fast, and the Pack made some logical, if incorrect, assumptions after that. The next one to try was a lithe man in body paint and a furred loincloth, picking his teeth with a knife while he waited. He was just back from the Galactic Zone, and they’d made good progress, but the sheer number of robots had eaten through their ammo before they could clear it. He’d sent Gage to restock while he weighed their options, but… well, this added something new to consider, didn’t it?

The man grabbed his arm and made eye contact. “How long has it been since you got your dick sucked, Boss?”

Nate looked over him, glancing at the bold hand on his coat. After some consideration, he jerked his head towards the door, publicly giving the Pack the metaphorical first blood. 

News hadn’t reached Gage by the time he got back. He opened the door to the overlook with his arms laden with sacks of ammo, words cutting off abruptly as he was greeted to the sight of Nate bent over the desk and taking it up the ass from a man half his size.

Nate heard the ammo drop to the ground, heard the door close, and finally saw Gage swing around into his field of vision. The raider threw a possessive arm around his chest and growled at the intruder, pointedly fucking him harder, and a smart comment died in his throat as the shift in position moved him just right to hit his prostate. He bit into the man’s arm to muffle a shout and fisted a hand around his cock, finishing in a few frantic strokes. Nate collapsed over the desk, panting hard, while the raider kept pounding him, obviously close himself. 

“Inside, Boss?”

“Yeah.” Nate shuddered and leaned into him, taking the last few rough thrusts before he slowed, feeling that dick pulsing inside him. 

God, it had been too long. The other man gave a half-hearted couple of thrusts before pulling out of him. “Never fucked an Overboss before.” 

Nate turned and stretched, working out his tense muscles. “And now you have. Don’t fuck it up and you can do it again.” He yawned and gestured to the door. “Thanks for that.”

The raider saluted lazily and dressed, sort of, then left as commanded. 

Gage was watching him in stony silence. Nate took his time cleaning off the sweat and paint and come smeared all over him, not in any particular rush to find his clothes. 

Finally, after an eternity of that, he buckled his belt and looked at Gage. “Yes?”

“The Overboss doesn’t get bent over a table and fucked like a bitch. Nobody’s going to respect you when word gets out.”

Nate blinked at him. This explained some things about him, didn’t it? “Oh? Do you not respect me anymore, Gage?”

“That’s not the point. It’s the gangs who aren’t going to listen to you.” 

Nate gestured for Gage to come closer. The other man hesitated, but obeyed. Nate hopped up to sit on the desk and directed Gage to the chair. “That’s not what I asked. Answer me.”

Gage growled, flushing red. “…yes, I respect you. But you don’t make it easy.”

“And why’s that?” He kept a gentle tone, genuinely curious. 

“Because—you’re acting weak! Like some faggot!”

They’d have a conversation about that word soon. “You’re upset that I was with a man?”

Gage met his eyes. “You shouldn’t have been getting fucked by him.”

Nate hooked a foot under the seat of the chair and rolled it forward, dragging Gage between his spread legs. “It’s only alright if I’m on top, is what you’re saying.”

Gage sucked in a breath. “That should be obvious. These guys, they need to see someone who’s in charge. Powerful.” 

Nate tilted Gage’s chin up. “Am I not powerful, Gage? Do you think I’m going to stop getting shit done now that you know one of the ways I like to get off?” He pressed his boot between Gage’s legs and felt resistance, felt a sharp little noise under his hand. “You’re hot for it, and you don’t know why. You think you’re angry at me when you’re trying to figure out why you like it.”

He toed off his boots and returned his foot to Gage’s lap, stroking the erection straining his pants. “Or maybe you’re jealous I didn’t ask you first.”

Gage gasped, and Nate grabbed a sharp fistful of his short hair. “Do you want to suck my cock?”

“…Yeah, Boss.” 

“Would you tell me honestly if you didn’t?”

Gage stared at him, not comprehending, and Nate released his grip to pet at his hair instead. “Well, go on, then.” 

He was still soft and over-sensitive, but Gage still pulled his dick free like it was the tastiest thing he’d ever seen, offering a few futile strokes before taking it between his chapped lips. 

It was a weird sensation, kind of prickly and warm, and interesting in a number of ways. “That other guy, he sucked me, too. Got me real close to shooting down his throat before I told him to get up and fuck me.”

He rubbed firmly at Gage’s dick through their clothes and felt him moan. The little slut was putty in his hands. Looked good on him. “Mm. Surprised him, too, but he didn’t make a fuss. See, I know what I like. It’s you scrawny fags who always seem to know how to make me come. Confidence is pretty damn sexy, you know?”

He pulled Gage closer, still not hard enough to really choke him with cock, but it still made a statement. “So when you get all goddamn high-and-mighty on me and tell me I’m weak for what I like, well, we have a problem. You say I got fucked like a bitch? I say I’ve shot some of my best loads getting railed by my wife. I don’t know what kind of weird programming you’re dealing with, or what the hell you think of yourself while you’re like this, but you’re going to leave that shit outside while I’m in charge, got it?” 

Gage whimpered, and Nate pulled him away. “Answer me.”

“I got it.” 

“Good.” Nate sighed down at his half-limp dick. “Not as young as I used to be. Bet you wish I’d saved some for you, huh?” 

Gage looked away from him, avoiding his eyes, and Nate chuckled and ruffled his hair. “Maybe next time. You go on and take care of that,” and he pressed down hard with his foot, “and don’t let me see you until tomorrow morning.” 

He spun the chair with his foot and gestured out, pleased when Gage did so without any sass, just disoriented and horny. 

Oh, he could definitely work with that.


	2. Shouting "Theatre" in a Crowded Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of these days, Boss, you're gonna have to let all that shit go and see what's right here in front of you.

Nate’s plan was working beautifully. The Pack was thrilled to receive the first two parks, and the Disciples and Operators were slowly spreading into their single assigned parks. 

He’d saved Kiddie Kingdom for last. He needed to clear it, couldn’t possibly avoid it forever. His feet knew the path well enough even without Gage pointing him.

“—and you’ll wanna stay sharp, Boss, the whole place is overrun with ghouls. The ferals are all painted up and freaky as hell, so there’s a chance that there’s someone smart behind the scenes. We found some Operators who’d tried to fight their way in a pile by the gate, all burnt up from radiation.”

Gage had told him about the sprayers ages ago and got them a pair of hazmat suits, but neither of them had been willing to risk the limited mobility, so they stripped the gas masks out and found an armorer to help line some fatigues with lead. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it offered a fair enough balance between protection and dexterity, and it gave him a little more time to delay the trip. 

When the clothes arrived, he’d come to terms with it; there was a time when he visited Nora at her theatre here almost every week, but none of that meant anything anymore. 

It was a resource, nothing more.

If Gage noticed his uncharacteristic silence, he knew better than to acknowledge it. Oswald the Outrageous was running his mouth enough already. 

That voice was… familiar. He was sure he’d met her coworkers, but that had been years before the war. If the guy had been this obnoxious back then, no wonder he’d blocked out the memory.

 

“You. I know you. How do I know you?”

They squared off in the auditorium, masks discarded in the relatively clean air, Gage and Nate versus one ghoul in a loud suit. God, had those sequins been the bane of Nora’s existence; she’d be mortified to see it in such disrepair. 

He had to focus!

“This ghoul is crazy,” he murmured. “End him.”

“Gladly,” Gage purred, lifting his gun, and Oswald squinted at him. 

“I know that voice. _Where have we met?_ ”

Gage fired, and the wall behind Oswald’s ugly face exploded into splinters, with the man himself nowhere to be found, and previously still corpses rising from the aisles.

They stayed down when they were done with them, but the encounter left a bad taste in his mouth. “Let’s find that freakshow and get the fuck out of here.”

“Couldn’t agree more, Boss. You know that lunatic?”

He glanced to the stage door. He’d spent a weekend here once while he was on leave, dashing in and out of that door to sneak Nora away. They’d worked her on an insane schedule, but she was awfully clever at finding excuses to leave.

When she quit here to pursue law school, money got tight, but they could finally be together without feeling like it was something scandalous.

“...no. Let’s move on.”

 

They cornered Oswald on the roof. The ghoul was a wreck, probably halfway to feral under the stress. Having a reminder of his past shoved in his face wasn’t the best for his mental health, obviously. 

“You didn’t work here. Why were you here? _How_ were you here?” He approached suddenly, and Nate cocked his gun, aiming it. “Stay back.” He hesitated, weighing his options. He didn’t need to show weakness in front of Gage, not now. 

Nora would have divorced him on the spot, had she been alive to see this. 

“Rachel is gone. She left you here to try to get help, right? You could still find her, and all you have to do is let this place go.” 

Gage shot him a ferocious look, and Oswald furrowed his brows, approaching closer, seemingly oblivious to the guns. What did it matter after so long, anyway? “I… suppose.”

Nate gestured with the butt of his rifle. “What if she’s scared out there? Going to let your girlfriend do this alone?”

Oswald stepped in, just too close for Nate’s liking. “Girlfriend. You’re the guy from Wardrobe. You brought snacks to my milliner.” He sniffed, frowning. “Nora always shared the cakes. You’re Nate, aren’t you? She had a picture of you on her desk.”

Nate cocked his gun. “You have one last chance to get the fuck out of here.”

Oswald smiled, showing too many teeth. “You’re here and she’s not. Always knew you were bad for her. How long has it been?”

He closed his eyes. Gage took the shot. Hot blood splattered his body, stinging and acrid where it landed on skin, while his Pip-Boy screamed in protest. 

Nate sat down, his head spinning. He eventually felt a rough pressure on his face, some kind of rag wiping the green blood and bits of brain from his eyes. “Still with me, Boss?”

He blinked up at him. Gage was crouched beside him, an unreadable expression over his face. Nate nodded, numb. “Yeah. Yeah, sorry, shit, must be the fumes here or something.” 

“I found the terminal to shut that off, by the way. Let’s get inside and get some Radaway in you while the air clears. Not a terrible place to camp down for the night.”

Nate accepted a supporting arm up and let Gage lead the way into the theatre. 

 

“Show me where she worked.” 

Nate stiffened. Trust fuckin’ Gage to bring this shit up while he was tied up to an IV stand. They’d both lost their bulky jackets for the night, and Nate’s trousers and boots were a bloody mess, so he was stripped down just too much for his liking. 

Feeling vulnerable wasn’t going to work for this. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I’m not stupid. Something he said shook you, and I want to know what the fuck to look out for if it’s gonna make you catatonic in a fight. The more you tell me, the better I can help, and Boss, right now I got no fuckin’ clue what to make out of your story.” 

“Look, if I can speak freely here? I get that you’re not playin’ your best game right now, and I’m not gonna hold it against you. You’re a damn fine leader out there, and I’ve got a personal interest in keeping you around, got it? And I can do that if I know at least something about you.”

Nate ached for a cigarette. “Yeah? Didn’t seem that way at the Gauntlet. You were throwing anyone at the wall to see who’d stick.”

Gage shrugged. “Wasn’t a perfect system. Figured anyone who’d get as far as you did would be at least competent. Only part after that would be to see if you were fit to lead. Guess we lucked out.”

“Yeah?” 

He grunted. As far as praise went, Nate didn’t expect much better. He did feel a bit better about his chances of not getting stabbed in his sleep, though. His second-in-command was a manipulative little shit, but he’d have to fuck it up pretty badly to get the axe at this point.

He could trade peace of mind for a piece of his mind. 

“Alright, one thing you should know is that I’m a lot older than you think.”

 

The explanation took some time, long enough to drain the whole pouch of Radaway, and Gage looked incredulous by the end. “You took down the Railroad, the Institute, and the Brotherhood of Steel?”

“And the Minutemen aren’t too happy with me right now, either.”

Gage laughed as he pulled the needle from his arm and readied the bandage. “Shit, Boss, if any of that’s true, then you’d be a hell of an asset for us.”

“Someone blew it all up. Why couldn’t it have been me?”

“It makes a weird sort of sense.” All tied off now, he offered a hand to get him to his feet. “Except the part where you were married. Don’t seem much like a family guy. Hell, after before, I didn’t think you were into women.”

They hadn’t talked about that night in the week since it had happened. Nate was surprised that Gage broke first. “Not a lot I’m going to turn down. A man has needs, Gage.”

He was squirming. Good. “You turned down that first one from the Operators.” 

“Mm. Maybe so. Guess I had a taste for something else.” He looked over the length of his body, unabashedly appreciating the view. “Gonna be alright when I take her up on that offer one day?”

Gage growled low in his throat. “I don’t own you. Do what you want.” 

“Damn right.” Nate laughed. “Come on, I’ll show you backstage.”

 

They found Oswald’s camp soon enough. Nate hadn’t bothered dressing in contaminated clothes, so it was rather fortuitous that he’d set up in the old costume shop. Gage started lighting lanterns while Nate rummaged for shoes that might have survived after so many years.

“My wife used to work here. They were always understaffed, so she was always jumping departments, but she’d mostly settled in the theatre. She’d have been a lot better at this apocalypse thing than I am,” he admitted. “She had skills to build a life. I was a soldier.” 

“And you’re a good shot with that gun. Strong. Seems like you’ve done alright for yourself so far.” Gage finished with the candles and added, “And maybe I’m selfish, but I’m glad it’s you. We need a fighter, not a seamstress.”

The thought crossed his mind that he’d really love to slug him across his smug face, followed by another realization. “You’re baiting me.”

Silence, then, “Maybe.”

Nate dropped the box of rotten fabric he’d been rummaging through and moved in close, towering over Gage even barefoot. “That’s off-limits. You have no business talking about her, got it? There’s other ways to get my attention if you want it so damn bad.” 

Gage met his eyes, defiant, even as he got backed into the wall. “Who says I want anything from you?”

Nate reached down and grabbed his crotch. As he’d predicted, Gage was hard. The raider bit back a sound and maintained eye contact. “That don’t mean nothing. You’re so damn sure of yourself.”

“I’m sure of a lot of things. That’s why I’m the leader.” He pressed close, feeling cold iron armor on his chest, and moved the hand inside his trousers to grip his dick. Gage shuddered and bucked his hips into his hand, and Nate rewarded him with a squeeze. “I’m sure I’ve seen you looking.”

“Big gorilla lookin’ motherfucker,” Gage panted. “Am I supposed to shut my eyes when you’re around?” Still a man.”

“I don’t give a shit what you do as long as you’re paying attention. You keep doing your job so I can do mine, and we’ll both end up happy, won’t we?” He gave him a firm stroke, rough and dry. “If you start bein’ honest with me I bet we can work something out.”

“Ain’t lied to you.” His voice was deliciously shaky. Nate wanted to taste his throat.

“I know. Haven’t been entirely honest, either. We’re gonna start fixing that.” He removed his hand to grab Gage by the throat, squeezing lightly, feeling his pulse quicken. “Make it easy for you for now. Yes or no. You want me.”

Gage met his eyes and nodded. 

“You don’t like that I’m fucking the raiders.”

“Raiders? More than just the one?”

Nate laughed. “Well, not yet. But that’s one’s not negotiable right now. I’m not in the market for my one and only.” He thumbed at his throat, lingering for a moment over a pressure point. “You don’t like that.”

“Leaves you exposed. You’re the first capable leader we’ve had, and I don’t want to lose you to a piece of ass with a grudge. Thought you were smarter than that.”

“Then look out for me.” Was that really the issue? Gage didn’t seem to be lying—and why would he? “The only way I’m going to get these idiots to listen to me is if I appeal to their vices. Caps and flesh. It’s why they can’t stand you, you know. You’re smart. You’re shrewd. You’re so far above their level that they don’t know how to relate—and you know it. That’s why you call yourself the second-in-command, and the particular mouthpiece you choose to lead ‘em only matters if he doesn’t do what you tell him, right?”

And there it was. Gage looked away, lips curled in a sneer. He pushed back against Nate to get free, but half-heartedly; they both knew he was physically outmatched. “And you think you know better? I’ve been in this a hell of a lot longer than you have.”

“Yeah, you have. You know business. You’ve got great ideas on turning this freakshow into a movement. But you don’t know shit about making people listen to you. It’s why you need me—and? It’s why you want me. I know your type, Gage— talented, but frustrated. You need an outlet.” 

Gage huffed, still avoiding his gaze. “And you think you can solve my problems? You’re the big damn hero?”

Nate slipped one hand up to his hair, stroking the short crop fondly, pleased with Gage’s little shudder as the movement pushed Nate’s face close to his own. “Yeah, actually. It’s why you hired me. Do you like being bitten?”

Gage arched against him. “Maybe. Yeah.”

“Like my hands on you?”

No uncertainty this time. “Yes.”

“Do you want to get off?”

“ _Yes._ ”

Nate pressed a condescending little kiss to his cheek, then backed away. “Get that shit off. I’m going out to have a smoke, and I want you in that bed when I get back in.” 

“You’re going out for that? Afraid management is going to ask you to leave for smoking inside?”

“We’re in a New England wooden theatre. You can fuck right off with all that.”

“Someone trained you well.” 

 

Radaway was pretty amazing. He didn’t pretend to know the science behind it, but they’d used it even in his time with all the exposure they’d get from fusion cores in their power armor. It worked like a dream and made you piss like a racehorse, but that was a pretty fair trade for, you know, not dying horribly on the field. 

At least he didn’t have to fight his way out of armor for it this time. Shoes would have been nice, but he made his way out to the cool night with no incident. 

Nora would have chewed him out for relieving himself on her theatre. Well, Nora wasn’t here, was she? The whole damn park was empty save for him, Porter Gage, and a handful of zombies. Welcome to the end of the world. 

He gave himself a few experimental tugs; nothing. He sighed and tucked himself back in his shorts before lighting one of Gage’s stolen cigarettes, taking a moment to look at the situation. He’d planned to get Gage into his bed, and willingly, but he hadn’t expected to be so… exposed. 

No, Gage wasn’t stupid. Who was really being manipulated here? Nate didn’t give a shit about the caps; he didn’t even want to think too hard about why he was doing this. He’d left the Vault with a goal, but then this brave new world with such people in it fucked that right to pieces, didn’t it? And what use was it to cling to those fragments now? Oswald found a weakness—or rather, Gage found it, his sudden paralysis at his old life calling to him from beyond the grave. 

A part of him ached to just sink into the radioactive soil and be done with it. But Gage, so eagle-eyed and sharp, saw something in him. Believed in him. Trusted him.

Yeah, another part of him ached for that. He ground his cigarette into the brick wall behind him and turned back inside.

 

The smug little prick was sprawled on the dirty mattress, dick out and lit cigarette in hand. He met Nate’s gaze and gave himself a firm stroke, leaning back on his free hand to watch Nate’s face.

He felt his own dick jolt to life as he bridged the distance and stepped right on Gage’s hand, stamping out the cigarette with his bare heel. “Think you’re funny?”

Gage barked a laugh. “I don’t give a shit if this place goes up in flames. It’s all dead and forgotten. We’re givin’ it to fuckin’ raiders; you think they’re gonna use coasters on the nice furniture? Put up the dust covers? Greet their _wives_ with a little kiss every time they come home to this pile of shit?” 

Nate backhanded him. Gage hit the floor, then spat and sat up again—or tried to, but Nate followed him down and straddled his hips, pushing him back flat. He hissed as Nate shoved hard against his collar, his dick rubbing hard against his boxers. 

“You’ve got a smart mouth on you. I’m tempted to shut you up, but you’d like that too much, wouldn’t you? Half the shit you say is to provoke me, isn’t it? To choke you with my cock and think it’s my idea?” He rolled his hips, grinding hard against Gage’s dick. “Bet that worked great on Colter. But we didn’t negotiate that, and you don’t get to change my plan.”

Gage growled and tried to shove him off. Nate pulled his dick out of his shorts and grabbed them both in his hand, squeezing hard. 

“Colter was an idiot,” Gage growled. “Big, dumb brute like you with his brain in his pants, _ohfuck--_ ”

Nate squeezed them harder, digging his nails into Gage’s prick before letting go to spit in his palm. “You can keep insulting me, and I can keep hurting you, or you can be honest and get something sweet. Frankly, I’m gonna get mine whichever you choose. What’ll it be?” 

Gage shuddered. “You tell me, Boss.”

Nate slapped him. Spit smeared Gage’s cheek, and Nate dragged his fingers through it, gently now. “You’re pretty hot like this. Gives a man ideas.”

Gage captured his fingers in his mouth with a shameless little smirk. Nate pushed them firm against his tongue. “Puts you in a nice place to suck me. It obviously what you’re after, hmm? You like making your boss weak in the knees. And I want you to have a good time. I want you to crave it.”

“You, ah, always so damn chatty?” Gage spat his fingers out and grabbed Nate by the hips, tugging insistently at his shorts. “F’r chrissake, Boss, just do it. Don’t gotta—hnn, draw this out…”

“Nope, don’t have to. I want to.” He grabbed their dicks in his slick hand and stroked hard, fisting his hand in Gage’s chest hair and leaning on him hard for support. “Wanna see you come apart, Porter Gage. Wanna fuckin’ tear you to pieces and build you back how I like you.” 

“High expectations from—from a handjob, Boss…” Despite his words, Gage was rolling his hips beneath him, thrusting up into Nate’s fist and pushing against his solid weight, exposing his throat. 

He couldn’t stop himself if he tried. He crawled over him and sank his teeth into the meat of his neck, and Gage yowled under him, and Nate felt his dick twitch before Gage shot off. His subordinate collapsed back, panting, and Nate chased the wound with a greedy tongue, lapping up the grime and sweat of the day while he continued to jack them both, Gage protesting weakly at the prolonged attention. 

“You did so good, baby,” he purred. With Gage sated under him, he was less interested in his own pleasure than in Gage’s reaction. “You gave me just what I wanted.” 

Gage cringed at the endearment, something like fear flashing across his unguarded expression. “Boss. I, uh. I don’t know what you want from me. Should I take care of that for you?”

He pulled his sticky hand free after a final few strokes and touched the other man’s face fondly before he tucked his lingering erection away. “Nope. You sit your ass here and get some sleep. I’m going to try to find something I can wear tomorrow so I’m not coming home in my skivvies.”

“Heh. First time you’ve ever called this dump ‘home’.” Gage sprawled out as instructed when Nate rolled away, wiping at his filthy face with Oswald’s blanket, and he felt the man’s eyes on his back. “Don’t get eaten by ghouls or nothin’, ‘cause I’m not getting’ up to save your ass again.”

Nate bit back a smile. “Some help you are. Remind me why I keep you around?”

“’Cause I’m so pretty, obviously.” Gage turned away from him, but Nate could hear the smile in his voice all the same. 

 

When they set out the next morning, Nate lingered at the castle in some dead man’s clothes, reflecting on a dead man’s life. 

He’d never fight the crowds to get here to surprise her with a weekend of leave from the Army. They’d never sneak up to the catwalks to fool around over the audience during a show—something that would have had both their asses in hot water if they’d been caught. This place was just a shell now. Something sentimental.

“You ready to do this?” Gage leaned nearby, sucking a cigarette and unabashedly checking him out. He looked out of place here, a thug in the happiest place in the world; or maybe it was Nate who was the outlier in his stolen suit, trousers snug and jacket discarded in favor of just the undershirt. He hardly looked like the king of a bloodthirsty band of assholes, but this was what he had now. 

He met Gage’s eye, and nodded. He watched Gage take a drag and flick his cigarette away, then turned away—but he still heard the _whoompf_ of the kerosene-soaked walls igniting in its own little mushroom cloud. 

He didn’t look back.


End file.
